CALVIN SPORTS REPORT FOR FEB. 9, 2008 (PART TWO)
Basketball Alumni Look Back on Calvin Fieldhouse on Homecoming Weekend)
(EDITOR'S NOTE: The following story is a feature written by Calvin Sports
Information Bruce VanBaren. A more indepth look at the history of the Calvin
Fieldhouse will be prepared for the February 16, Calvin-Kalamazoo men's
basketball game).
Calvin Basketball Family Looks Back on Fieldhouse Years on Homecoming Weekend
By Bruce VanBaren '09
Calvin’s 63-48 Homecoming win over Adrian brought another great team
performance to the Fieldhouse, but it also brought generations of former
players wanting to be a part of the final Homecoming in the Fieldhouse.
Brian Thwaites (’95) and brother-in-law Bruce Capel (’83), both season ticket
holders, showed up early to watch nephew and son Matt Capel who plays on the
Calvin Junior Varsity.
“Absolutely it’s special,” said Thwaites who was part of Calvin’s 1993 and 1994
MIAA Championship teams. “Obviously watching family and the tradition [at
Calvin] is special.”
Thwaites’ best memories, not surprisingly, were the Calvin-Hope games.
“You can never forget the Calvin-Hope games and the support that our fan base
gave us,” he said. “Not a day goes by that I don’t remember the Calvin-Hope
games. [When you showed up] to see just a line of students back to the dorms to
come support you, that’s pretty special.”
But despite the great memories and tradition, Thwaites agrees it’s time to move
on.
“The fact that I played here, yeah I’ll miss it,” he said. “Overall I think
it’s going to be a positive thing for Calvin. I think it’s going to be great
to have another facility and bring some more fans into what’s already such a
big supporting crew here in Grand Rapids to watch Calvin.”
Calvin coach Kevin Vande Streek recognizes just how special that support is.
“One of the neat things about Calvin is we have a loyal following through the
generations. I’ve met lots of people who have been watching Calvin basketball
for forty years or more. A lot of them remember playing the first game here in
the Fieldhouse. That’s a really neat thing that Calvin has that a lot of places
don’t have.”
Greg Broene (’74), a season ticket holder and loyal Calvin fan, is a second
generation Calvin basketball alumnus. His father Gene Broene played in the 30’s
and 40’s.
“I love this building,” said Broene. “This was always a stopping place
throughout the years. I used to come here as a kid and I brought my kids here.”
His son Kevin played in the early part of the decade, bringing three
generations- grandfather, father and son- together in the Fieldhouse.
“I played on this floor and my son did too, so yeah that’s kind of special,” he
said. “It will be fun to see the new stadium; it’s probably time [for a new
one].”
With Calvin’s win, the Knights finish at 38-5 all-time in Homecoming games at
the Fieldhouse. In fact, the Knights have only lost one Homecoming game in the
last two decades and that was on a last second shot by Albion.
Calvin’s all-time record at the Fieldhouse isn’t much lower than its .883
Homecoming winning percentage. Since it was opened for the 1965-66 season,
Calvin has posted a won-loss record of 390-76 in the Fieldhouse for a .837
winning percentage.
“I think it’s been a really nice home court advantage for us,” said Vande
Streek. “We’ve felt comfortable here, felt confident here. I know every time we
lose here, it’s gut-wrenching because it doesn’t happen very often.”
Now in his 12th year as coach, Vande Streek sits second on the Calvin career
coaching victories list. He recognizes the tradition of the Fieldhouse.
“There are certainly a lot of memories here for a lot of people,” he said.
“Playing here for decades, it’s pretty neat.”
Vande Streek was an integral part of one of the most memorable seasons in the
Fieldhouse. He coached the Knights through the 2000 NCAA Champrun which included three NCAA tournament wins in front of the home crowd in the
Fieldhouse.
“When we beat McMurry (Texas)[in the Fieldhouse] to go to the final four, I’ve
heard lots of people, including [Calvin broadcaster] Doug Wentworth and people
who have seen forty years worth of Calvin basketball, who’ve said they’ve never
heard it louder than it was at that time.”
“That was really special,” he added. “It was special for me because it was our
first time in the NCAA tournament and we just played terrific basketball that
weekend and beat two really terrific teams handily.”
Jon Potvin (’02), a member of that National Championship team, was in the
stands to witness the final Homecoming at the Fieldhouse.
“The 2000 season was a lot of fun and was special in a way that there was
always a lot of student support,” said Potvin. “It felt like we were almost
playing in front of a sellout crowd every time we stepped onto the court and
especially being able to play the NCAA tournament games here. There were really
big teams that came here from all across the country and we played really well
in front of the home crowd.”
“It will be disappointing not being able to come to the Fieldhouse to watch
games, but all good things must come to an end. It will be a new chapter in
Calvin basketball history and I think it will be exciting to be in a new place
like that for the current players as well as helping to recruit new players and
talent to the team.”
Calvin’s final regular season home game in the Fieldhouse is next Saturday as
the Knights host Kalamazoo at 3 p.m.
Jeff Febus
Sports Information Director
Calvin College
(616) 526-6169 Office
(616) 526-8551 Fax
Received on Sat Feb 9 22:54:56 2008
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